Reducing carbon emissions in chemical production is a major difficulty due to the role the industrial sector plays in nearly a third of U.S. emissions. Conventional chemical reactors depend significantly on fossil fuels which intensifies the demand for new solutions. A group of researchers from Stanford University investigates the potential of electrified reactors powered by magnetic induction to greatly cut down emissions and change industrial practices.
Jonathan Fan, associate professor of electrical engineering at Stanford, has been a key player in developing a new type of thermochemical reactor.
“We have an electrified and scalable reactor infrastructure for thermochemical processes that features ideal heating and heat-transfer properties,”
Fan explains.
“Essentially, we’re pushing reactor performance to its physical limits, and we’re using green electricity to power it”
High-frequency magnetic fields are central to the team’s strategy for producing intense heat instead of using fossil fuels. This approach behaves like induction cooking conducted on a larger scale and enhances heat transfer effectiveness as well as shrinking reactor size.
“You’re heating a large surface area structure that is right next to the catalyst, so the heat you’re generating gets to the catalyst very quickly to drive the chemical reactions,”
says Fan. The result? A compact, energy-efficient system that could pave the way for greener production of materials like plastic and fertiliser.
What distinguishes this technology is its flexibility. They ran tests on the reactor with a catalyst developed by Stanford chemist Matthew Kanan. During a proof-of-concept experiment the reactor converted captured CO₂ into valuable gases achieving more than 85% efficiency in the conversion of electrical energy to heat.
Looking ahead, the researchers are already exploring other applications, such as carbon capture and more sustainable cement production. Fan’s team is collaborating with industry partners to determine how this technology can be scaled and integrated into existing infrastructure.
“As we make these reactors even larger or operate them at even higher temperatures, they just get more efficient,”
notes Fan, highlighting the potential for this electrified approach to set new standards for industrial decarbonisation.
